Sociedad Española de Mineralogía

What Sociedad Española de Mineralogía does

The Sociedad Española de Mineralogía (SEM) is a non-profit scientific association founded in May 1975 at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, operating under Spanish association law (Ley Orgánica 1/2002) and headquartered at Calle Río Rosas n.º 23, 28003 Madrid, inside the Museo Geominero of the Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME-CSIC). Its stated purpose is to promote and disseminate scientific research in mineralogy, crystallography, petrology, geochemistry, and mineral deposits; to organize annual scientific meetings in collaboration with Spanish university departments; to publish peer-reviewed journals (Macla, Seminarios SEM) and co-sponsor the European Journal of Mineralogy and Elements; to grant awards and financial aid to young researchers and students; and to advise institutions on mineral heritage and education matters.

SEM runs a community-led, event-driven model anchored on a stable base of approximately 250 active individual members distributed across 21 Spanish provinces and linked to most major Spanish universities with mineralogy and petrology departments, plus CSIC research institutes. Revenue is derived from recurring annual membership dues (roughly €20 for student quotas, with higher tiers implied), one-time sales of sponsored publications ("Mineralogía Aplicada," "Minerales de Aragón," "Minerales y Minas de España" volumes), and grants or subsidies from public and private entities supporting scientific activities and publications. The society is governed by a Junta Directiva elected by the General Assembly, currently (2025-2026) led by President Ángeles Fernández González of Universidad de Oviedo, with operational support from a small staff of around five people.

Its go-to-market is essentially relationship-driven within the Spanish academic ecosystem: members join by submitting an inscription form and paying dues, the society communicates through its website (semineral.es), email ([email protected]), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube, and convenes one annual scientific meeting hosted by a rotating university partner. Strategic international posture is maintained through membership in the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), the European Mineralogical Union (EMU), the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG), the Sociedad Española de Arcillas, and the Confederación de Sociedades Científicas de España (COSCE).

Name

Sociedad Española de Mineralogía

Legal name

Sociedad Española de Mineralogía

Website

https://semineral.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sociedad Española de Mineralogía is a non-profit Spanish scientific association founded in 1975 that promotes mineralogy, crystallography, petrology, geochemistry, and mineral deposits research through approximately 250 members, annual meetings, peer-reviewed journals (Macla, Seminarios SEM), and young-researcher awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Society Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAKAKAA

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Metals & Mining/Mining Services & Contracting (Exploration, Drilling, Blasting, Mine Operations)

Keywords

• Scientific society
• Mineralogy research
• Scientific publications
• Geology conferences
• Research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership dues collected from members. New members must send completed inscription form to the secretary and treasurer along with proof of payment of the annual fee.
2. Publication revenue: Sale of scientific publications including books such as 'Mineralogía Aplicada' (45€), 'Minerales de Aragón' (65€), 'Minerales y Minas de España' volumes (30-60€ each), and various other mineralogy publications.
3. Grants and subsidies: Financial support from public and private entities for scientific activities, research programs, and publication support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sociedad Española de Mineralogía (SEM) is a non-profit scientific association founded in 1975 that promotes and disseminates mineralogy research in Spain. It publishes peer-reviewed scientific journals and bulletins, co-sponsors international mineralogy publications, organizes annual scientific meetings and webinars, administers research awards and financial aid programs, and represents the Spanish mineralogy community in international bodies.

Product overview

The Sociedad Española de Mineralogía operates as a scientific society rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of scholarly publications (Macla journal, Seminarios SEM, co-sponsored journals European Journal of Mineralogy and Elements), award and recognition programs (Premio Mineraliza-SEM, young researcher awards, thesis awards), financial aid programs for researchers, and annual scientific meetings. The society also sponsors specialized publications on Spanish minerals and applied mineralogy topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Macla

Quantifiable outcome

• 45 volumes of Boletin SEM published (1978-2003)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Association of Geochemistry (EAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational professional association for geochemistry. SEM collaborates through participation in joint activities and scientific exchange in the field of geochemistry.
• European Mineralogical Union (EMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean federation of mineralogical societies. SEM maintains membership and participates in European mineralogical activities and initiatives.
• International Mineralogical Association (IMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal organization coordinating international mineralogical activities. SEM participates as the Spanish representative in IMA forums and activities.
• Sociedad Española de ArcillascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish clay society. Collaborates with SEM on joint activities related to clay mineralogy, including shared awards at scientific meetings.
• Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME-CSIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational geological and mining institute under CSIC. Hosts the Museo Geominero where SEM headquarters is located. Collaborates on research, meetings, and the 50th anniversary celebration held at the museum.
• Confederación de Sociedades Científicas de España (COSCE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish confederation of scientific societies. SEM participates as a member society representing mineralogical sciences at the national level.
• Various Spanish universities and research centerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEM collaborates annually with university departments of mineralogy, petrology, and geology across Spain for organizing scientific meetings. The directory lists 21 provincial locations including all major Spanish universities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft (DMG): Germany's national mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry society, with comparable programs (Elements magazine co-sponsorship, awards, annual meetings). Strong structural peer given shared scope and continental European context.
• Mineralogical Society of America: US-based national scientific society for mineralogy, crystallography, and petrology. Directly comparable as a learned society publishing peer-reviewed journals (American Mineralogist), running award programs, and organizing meetings — operating at a much larger scale than SEM.
• Société Française de Minéralogie et de Cristallographie: France's national mineralogy and crystallography society, co-publisher of European Journal of Mineralogy with SEM. Direct national-society peer with similar publication and meeting programs.
• Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland: UK and Ireland's national mineralogical society, publishing Mineralogical Magazine and Clay Minerals. Closely mirrors SEM's mission (publishing, awards, meetings, membership-driven governance) and serves as a direct national-society peer.
• Geological Society of Spain (SGE): Spain's national geological society covering a broader geoscience remit than SEM. Overlaps in audience (Spanish geology departments, students) and competes for similar membership and meeting-attendance mindshare domestically.
• Società Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia (SIMP): Italy's national mineralogy and petrology society, co-publisher of European Journal of Mineralogy alongside SEM and other national societies. Closely comparable in scope, scale, and Mediterranean academic positioning.

Regional players

• European Association of Geochemistry (EAG): European association for geochemistry with which SEM has a formal core partnership. Operates in adjacent geoscience subfield with similar learned-society structure (publications, awards, meetings) but does not directly compete for the same members.
• Russian Mineralogical Society: Long-established mineralogical society in Russia with similar publication and award programs. Comparable organizational structure but operates in a different linguistic/geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• International Mineralogical Association (IMA): Global umbrella organization of which SEM is a member representing Spain. Operates broader scope across all national societies and defines mineral nomenclature; a higher-level incumbent rather than a direct competitor.
• European Mineralogical Union (EMU): European federation of national mineralogical societies, of which SEM is a member. Co-publishes European Journal of Mineralogy with SEM and national societies; functions as a regional umbrella rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/espanolasem
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbEDhZdyA9KichLvTr6P1jg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SEM-759654727751238
• Instagraminstagram.com/sem_mineralogia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sem-mineralog%C3%ADa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sociedad Española de Mineralogía